• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 15, 2009

NBC said it has signed a two-year deal to continue carrying NHL regular-season and playoff games through the 2010-11 season. The agreement maintains the structure that was launched in early 2006, where NBC pays no rights fees but shares ad revenues with the league.

Over the past two years, NBC has benefited from the launch of the Winter Classic, where the network carries an outdoor game on New Year's Day. NBC said this year it was the most-watched regular-season NHL game in 34 years. In 2010, the game will be played in Boston's Fenway Park; the first edition memorably featured a shootout as snow fell.

The three other major broadcasters did not have an interest in carrying the NHL, preventing the league from being able to sign the type of lucrative rights-fee-based deal that other sports leagues enjoy.

NBC will continue to split carriage of Stanley Cup games with Versus, which offers NHL games on cable.

Separately, sports-marketing company IMG said it has a three-year deal to distribute NFL games internationally in Europe, Latin America and other countries -- although the deal covers broadcasts in the local languages only. The NFL had distributed the games itself and maintains rights in China. The deal includes the Super Bowl.

In Europe, networks such as Canal Plus in Spain and France and Rai and Sky Italia in Italy have carried NFL games before.